raisetheearth | Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

Even for Benjamin Factor, arranging this charity event had been something of a challenge. Just as he held great influence in Gateway City, Thunder Corp's influence in Locke was great as well. But with time and money, all things were indeed possible in this case, and the Memorial Dance Hall was playing host to the night's events. It was a glamorous affair: politicians, captains of business, dignitaries, and celebrities had been invited. For whatever controversy that existed, the world legitimately wanted to heal the wounds left by the invasion, and that meant there were a lot of people who wanted to use events like this to either advance that cause, or to make themselves look good.

But they weren't the only sorts of individuals who had recieved an invitation.

Benjamin Factor had also made it so the Numbered would be invited to his little party. Arrivals through the teleporter would be greeted by drivers at the community center, and the same courtesy was extended to anyone who might live in Locke. The only stipulation? Was that anyone who came make an effort to make themselves presentable. If that was a problem, or anyone arrived without knowing, they had clothes on hand for people to change into.

Indeed, it seemed that the Numbered would be well provided for tonight. That being said, their presence would get people to talk, given the presence of news crews making live coverage. Nevertheless... "getting people to talk" seemed to be exactly what Benjamin Factor wanted to happen.

[Event Links: Event Speakers | NPC Interaction | General Mingle]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Amy had arrived at the event earlier with Saretha. She'd worn the same dress she usually reserved for attending her girlfriend's various business meetings and own charity functions, which took the form of a white skirt, light-blue blouse, and a pair of heels. She also elected to wear her hair down as well.

Towards the beginning of the evening, Amy was nervous, as she'd submitted herself as one of the people giving a speech that evening. She had spoken before groups before, but never in front of so many important people.

After giving the speech, however, she... seemed more relaxed. Or perhaps the better description was that she had lost some of the tension. There was some excitement at having gotten her words out, but mostly, she was thankful to have done it and to have it done with. She felt... accomplished.

So, depending on when one approached Amy, you were likely to get a different reaction. No matter the time, however, you could likely find her discriminating against the food. It was good, yes, but that didn't stop Amy from being critical of it, at least through the use of a firm, serious gaze.

Edited 2015-10-19 04:34 (UTC)

Nathan had noticed her nervousness earlier, but had declined to bother her even though she'd been doing something that confused him. He's sure he is not any kind of relaxing presence. And so he waits until after Amy has spoken to say anything to her, noting that she seems calmer now.

And she is still doing the same thing that had confused him before, so he needs to ask about it. "Is there something wrong with it?"

The food, he means. She keeps looking at it like it fails to measure up to some standard he does not get.

Amy nearly jumped when she heard Nathan's voice, turning towards him with a start. "Oh! Nathan..." she said, shaking her head. "Sorry, I... I was a bit preoccupied..."

She laughed nervously, before looking back at the table. "And... not really, no. It's more when you're intensely interested in something you start to be discerning of other people's work..."

"No, I'm sorry. I should not have spoken up so suddenly."

Nathan, not everything is your fault.

He considers her words for a moment. They do make sense, when he thinks about how he would be able to pick apart small inconsistencies in otherwise perfectly sound programming code. He just isn't used to the idea of all that being applied to something like food. As long as it does not make him ill, Nathan is very far from picky.

"Is there something you would have done differently?"

Amy waved it off. "It's fine, really."

Nathan asking that, however, is like a valve being released for Amy. "Well," she said. "For starters, I can tell the paté is slightly runny, the shrimp is slightly overcooked, and they simply rushed the spinach puffs..."

Edited 2015-10-22 02:30 (UTC)

He just . . . stares blankly while Amy launches into a critique of the food. Well. He had asked, hadn't he?

"... How do you know they were rushed?"

Nathan may be a genius, but he knows approximately nothing about this topic. He can just barely cook the simplest of things.

"The crust doesn't look firm or crisp enough," she said. "They could have stood to leave them in a bit longer."

She sighs, and shakes her head. "Sorry, it's just... maybe I'm being a harsher critic than I should be."

... So they are supposed to be different than this? They had tasted fine to Nathan when he'd picked at them earlier. Then again, Nathan's standards for food are low.

"Perhaps. I've admittedly never understood being this exacting about food."

Amy sighed. "Most people aren't. And... they're fine. Good even. But I guess I'm a bit nervous, so I'm being more critical than they deserve."

She laughed a little shaking her head. "They have to do a lot for a lot of people, so. Time can affect things, I guess."

"I think you did very well when you spoke."

It isn't a lie to build her up. He truly does think she did well, far better than anything he could have said. There would have been no getting him up on that stage.

"I suppose time would have to be factored in, considering the volume of food they would need."

Amy's eyes widened when he complimented her like that. She blinked, and then smiled, sincerely, her cheeks coloring red for a moment.

"Thank you Nathan," she said, sincerely. "That... means a lot to me. You're right, though. I'm being too hard on them."

This one, Tobias would almost rather not bother. It's a shame, really. A damned shame, and as he listens to her speech, he feels just a little bit worse about it. But no amount of feelings changes the work he needs to do, and he hangs on the edges of things for a little bit, finally drifting near as she is ... well, visually dissecting the food available to them.

"Ah, hey. Miss Dylandy, right? That was a hell of a speech."

Amy looked up with a start. This was a face she didn't know... most of the people who approached her were people she was already familiar with, so this was a bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, she gave him a friendly smile.

"Thank you, that's very kind. I worked hard on it... ah... may I ask your name?"

Oh, he's certainly aware of how it could look, but he's going to roll with it anyway. He gives her a polite smile and nods.

"Tobias. Sorry. But, ah... your brother? He was in the army, right? I did a tour myself, probably well after his time, but... I can respect what he did."

"... Yeah," Amy admitted. "He did a tour in Afghanistan and Iraq, until he was injured. And then a few years later, all of this started."

In a way, Neil had never really stopped fighting. Amy felt that familiar pang of sorrow in her heart.

"It's nice to meet you, Tobias. I'm... glad there are people who want to know about and believe in what Neil did."

Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

Amy Dylandy | OTA

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Post-speech

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